His Own Brand of Marketing

Getting a home’s performance problems treated in a systematic way requires leaping two hurdles. First, contractors need to be trained to use a wholehouse approach; second, customers need to be trained to appreciate the value of wholehouse services.Keith Williams, founder and owner of Building Services & Consultant in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, has been successfully clearing these twin hurdles for more than a decade, armed with his secret weapon: “I have a big mouth,” says Williams. Williams hasn’t deployed his weapon in a take-it-to-thestreets fashion; networking is his tactic of choice. He talks up the advantages of whole-house contracting to groups of insulation contractors, heating contractors, home inspectors, raters, and builders.“I will do a presentation wherever I can fit in,” says Williams. “I even do breakfast seminars.”The recurring theme in his presentations is the need to test a house to identify the causes of its performance problems before starting any repairs or remodeling work, and then to test out at the end of the job to ensure that the house is now working safely. &...